26:1 stone pillars The Hebrew word used here, matsevah, refers to a sacred standing stone. In the ancient Near East, standing stones denoted divine beings. The ot contains numerous references to the use of these objects in the context of idolatry (e.g., Exod 23:24; Deut 16:22; compare Gen 28:18).

a sculptured stone The Hebrew phrase used here, even maskith, refers to a stone inscribed with pictures of some kind. The word maskith occurs in Num 33:52 of idolatrous iconography (sculpture) that God commanded Israelites to destroy. This stone probably had carved images on it.

26:2 You shall keep my Sabbaths Mentioned in conjunction with a prohibition on idolatry, this exhortation introduces a series of blessings affiliated with the Israelites’ covenant with Yahweh (compare note on Lev 26:3–46).

26:3 you keep my commands Refers both to commandments in the Holiness Code (Lev 17–25) and the laws in general (Exod 20–23).

26:4 I will give you rains The promise of seasonal rain was critical to timely harvest and vitality in the land.

26:5 securely The Israelites will live without threat of external hostility, whether by man or beast, or fear of want. The descriptions here mirror and reverse the promised curses for disobedience (Lev 26:14–46).

26:8 five of you shall pursue a hundred Military success is described in terms of victory in spite of small numbers.

26:9 I will make you fruitful This was a particularly effective blessing for an agro-pastoral society. Larger families usually translated into more workers and more provision.

I will keep my covenant with you Echoes the words of the covenant with the patriarchs (see Gen 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4; Exod 32:13).

26:10 you shall clear away the old before the new Refers to the Jubilee cycle (see Lev 25:1–7, 18–22).

26:11 I will put my dwelling place in your midst Yahweh’s presence with the Israelites—in the tent of meeting and tabernacle—will remain if they obey Him.

shall not abhor Refers to disgust that leads to rejection or spurning.

26:12 I will walk about in your midst Probably means that Yahweh will move about among the Israelites—a reference to His continued presence in the journey to the promised land and—ultimately—the settling of the land (compare 2 Sam 7:6–7).

26:13 brought you out from the land of Egypt Refers to the exodus from Egypt. This event was meant to lead the people into the promised land so that they could live vibrantly and positively. However, their security in the land was contingent upon obedience.

26:16 I in turn will do this to you This statement introduces a lengthy list of possible punishments. God will unleash misery upon His people if they revolt against Him through disobedience. However, the passage is clear that curses will only come to pass if the people refuse to listen and obey (Lev 26:14).

horror The Hebrew word used here, behalah, conveys surprised horror, alarm, and shock.

wasting disease, and the fever It is unclear what conditions are indicated by these terms (which also appear together in Deut 28:22).

26:17 I will set my face against you Signifying the absence of God’s favor or Him being in opposition to the people.

26:18 I will continue to discipline you seven times Points to repeated, successive punishment (compare Psa 79:12; Prov 24:16) but with the implication that even in the midst of the curses there would be opportunity to repent (Lev 26:21, 23, 27).

26:19 your heaven like iron and your land like copper Indicates that Yahweh will withhold rain and cause the ground to become hard and dry, unable to yield crops for food. These phrases have been found in treaties between the Assyrian Empire and its vassal states, warning that the gods will severely punish the vassals if they violate the treaties’ terms.

26:20 strength shall be consumed in vain All the effort put into farming the land will be for nothing.

26:21 I will add a plague onto you seven times See note on v. 18. God makes it clear that He punishes the Israelites.

26:25 you shall be gathered to your cities Describes how people gather in fortified cities to seek protection, but the city often comes under siege. Sieges sometimes ended by the spread of disease.

26:26 At my breaking the supply of bread for you The staple of life in biblical times, and this imagery speaks to the fundamental disruption of food supply and daily provision. Lack of satisfaction anticipates famine and food shortages.

26:29 you shall eat the flesh of Compare Deut 28:54–57; Lam 2:20; 4:10; Ezek 5:10; Jer 19:9; 2 Kgs 6:28–29. Similar cannibalism curses appear in treaties between the Assyrian Empire and its vassals.

26:30 I will destroy your high places Anticipates the religious apostasy in Israel after the kingdom split in two following the death of Solomon (compare 1 Kgs 13:32–33; 14:23; 15:14; Ezek 6:3–7). The high places were places of worship for foreign deities.

incense altars Refers to altars at the high places used to burn incense to other gods.

corpses A pejorative description of the idol itself—a lifeless, inanimate object (Psa 135:15–17).

your idols The Hebrew word used here, gillulim, only occurs in the plural, and indicates either pagan statues or pillars. It also can be translated “fetishes”—objects of religious devotion.

26:32 shall be appalled over it This image—of travelers and enemies descending upon the land only to be shocked by its desolation—is a common curse in such listings (e.g., Deut 29:21–24).

26:33 I will scatter you among the nations A clear reference to the threat of exile (see Ezek 6:8; 12:15; 22:15). The Hebrew verb used here, zarah, is frequently used later for descriptions of Israel’s exile under the Assyrians and Babylonians (see Zech 7:14; Pss 106:27).

26:34 in the land of your enemies The land will enjoy Sabbath rests, since virtually no one will inhabit it once Israel is exiled (Lev 26:33). This curse targets disobedience with regard to the Sabbatical Year (see ch. 25), which calls for the land to lie fallow every seventh year.

26:36 I will bring fearfulness in their hearts God will strike the captive Israelites with fear and despair.

shall pursue them This verse and v. 37 portray a beaten, pathetic people. The captive Israelites will be so skittish that natural noises will strike fear in them.

26:38 you shall perish among the nations Yahweh threatens that the captive Israelites will die on foreign ground, never to see their homeland again. Even though God ultimately returns His people (at least, the southern kingdom of Judah) to the land, most people would never see the land of Israel again.

26:39 the iniquities of their ancestors The next generation of Israelites—raised in a foreign land as captives—would suffer the effect of their fathers’ sins.

26:40 their guilt and the guilt of their ancestors The iniquity to confess was not just their own, since the punishment of exile impacted subsequent generations.

26:41 uncircumcised heart This imagery also occurs elsewhere (Deut 10:16; Jer 9:25; Ezek 44:7). Circumcision was a symbol of Yahweh’s covenant with His people—He desired for their actions and thoughts to reflect the same kind of obedience.

they pay for their guilt Refers to the humbling of the uncircumcised, contrite heart by realizing the deep disobedience of God that triggered the exile.

26:42 my covenant with Abraham Yahweh will remember His promise to the patriarchs about them having a great number of descendants and a wonderful land (Gen 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 26:4; 28:3). The exact meaning of this phrase is unknown. The promise may mean that the nation of Israel is still the focus of kingdom language and prophecy, or it could be applied more broadly to Yahweh remembering the idea behind His covenant and fulfilling its general purposes.

Leviticus 26 and the New Testament

26:44 break my covenant with them The discipline described in Lev 26:3–43 was a requirement of the covenant, but Yahweh does not nullify the covenant. Echoed in other parts of the Old Testament, this is one of the greatest descriptions of God’s perpetual faithfulness, despite the shortcomings of His people.

26:45 first covenant Refers to the covenant God made with the patriarchs that promised a people and a land (see Gen 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4; Exod 32:13).